Description
Small tree or shrub 5-10(-20) m; bole up to 25(-50) cm in diam., sometimes with
small buttresses. Outer bark brown, greyish-brown or yellowish-grey, with lenticels
and narrow vertical fissures, flaking in thin, irregular, stiff scroll-like scales; inner bark
pink or reddish-brown; sapwood yellow; heartwood red. Twigs densely covered with
pale brown or pale orange-brown peltate scales which have a short fimbriate margin.
Leaves imparipinnate, 6-29 cm long, 7-21 cm wide; petiole 2.5-10.5 cm, petiole, rachis
and petiolulcs densely covered with peltate scales like those on the twigs. Leaflets
(1-)3-7, 2-13(-16) by 1-5(-6) cm, subcoriaceous, the apex rounded or acuminate,
cuneate at the asymmetrical base, upper surface shiny, with scales like those on the
twigs, densely covering both surfaces of the leaflets when young, numerous on or densely
covering the midrib and sparse to numerous elsewhere when mature, with numerous
faint or conspicuous pits on both surfaces, lateral veins 5-10 on each side of the
midrib, the reticulation sometimes subprominent on both surfaces; petiolules 5-15(-20)
mm on lateral leaflets. Male inflorescence (3-)9-34 cm long and (1-)2.5-25 cm wide;
female inflorescence up to 12.5 cm long and 10 cm wide; peduncle up to 6 cm, peduncle,
rachis and branches with indumentum like the twigs. Flowers up to 3 mm long and
in diam.; pedicel 0.5-1.5 mm, densely covered with scales like those on the twigs.
Calyx densely covered with scales like those on the twigs. Petals 5. Staniinal tube nearly
as long as the corolla, subglobose, yellow, the aperture 0.3-0.7 mm across with a
dentate margin; anthers 5, about half the length of the tube, inserted half way up the
tube with their apices usually just protruding through the aperture. Infructescence up to
12 cm long and 10 cm wide; peduncle up to 5 cm, the peduncle, rachis, branches and
fruitstalks densely covered with peltate scales like those on the twigs. Fruits 1.1-2 cm
long, 1.3-1.5 cm in diam., subglobose, ellipsoid or obovoid, orange, brown or red,
indehiscent, densely covered with scales like those on the twigs, sometimes glabrescent;
pericaip thin, soft. Locules 2, each with or 1 seed. Seed c. 10 mm long, 6 mm wide
and 3 mm thick, usually completely covered with a thin, white, gelatinous, sweet aril.
[from Flora Malesiana]

Ecology
Dense and moist forests in valleys and mountainous regions, ravine rain forests, evergreen broad-leaved forests;
also in secondary forest, deciduous forest, along beaches, river banks, and in Barringtonia formations
on sand, granite, coral and limestone. Found from sea level to 1500 m elevation.

Uses
Aril edible, sweetish, tasty.

Distribution
Very widespread species occurring from India and Sri Lanka to southern China and Southern Taiwan
to New Guinea, Australia and the western Pacific.